Don Nelson (January 20, 1927 – September 10, 2013) was an American screenwriter, film producer and jazz musician. He is best known for his work on the American situation comedy ''

The Adventures of Ozzie and Harriet ''The Adventures of Ozzie and Harriet'' is an American television sitcom that aired on ABC from October 3, 1952, to April 23, 1966, and starred the real-life Nelson family. After a long run on radio, the show was brought to television, where it ...

'', for which he wrote from 1952 to 1966. The series starred his elder brother

Ozzie Nelson Oswald George Nelson (March 20, 1906 – June 3, 1975) was an American actor, director, producer, screenwriter, musician, composer, conductor and bandleader. He originated and starred in '' The Adventures of Ozzie and Harriet'', a radio and te ...

, his sister-in-law

Harriet Nelson Harriet Nelson (formerly Hilliard; born Peggy Lou Snyder; July 18, 1909 – October 2, 1994) was an American actress and singer. Nelson is best known for her role on the Situation comedy, sitcom ''The Adventures of Ozzie and Harriet''. Early ...

and his nephews David Nelson and

Ricky Nelson Eric Hilliard Nelson (May 8, 1940 – December 31, 1985) was an American musician, songwriter and actor. From age eight he starred alongside his family in the radio and television series ''The Adventures of Ozzie and Harriet''. In 1957, he bega ...

. Nelson was born in Hackensack,

New Jersey New Jersey is a state in the Mid-Atlantic and Northeastern regions of the United States. It is bordered on the north and east by the state of New York; on the east, southeast, and south by the Atlantic Ocean; on the west by the Delaware ...

, and raised in Tenafly, New Jersey. Nelson worked for several famous entertainment businesses, including Universal Studios and Fox Studios; he also co-wrote four films for Disney Studios and wrote for the 1968–1970

CBS CBS Broadcasting Inc., commonly shortened to CBS, the abbreviation of its former legal name Columbia Broadcasting System, is an American commercial broadcast television and radio network serving as the flagship property of the CBS Entertainm ...

situation comedy '' The Good Guys'', starring

Bob Denver Robert Osbourne Denver (January 9, 1935 – September 2, 2005) was an American comedic actor who portrayed Gilligan on the 1964–1967 television series ''Gilligan's Island'', and beatnik Maynard G. Krebs on the 1959–1963 series ''The Ma ...

Herb Edelman Herbert Edelman (November 5, 1933 – July 21, 1996) was an American actor of stage, film and television. He was twice nominated for an Emmy Award for his television work. One of his best-known roles was as Stanley Zbornak, the ex-husband of ...

, and

Joyce Van Patten Joyce Benignia Van Patten (born March 9, 1934) is an American film and stage actress. She is best known for her roles in films like '' The Bad News Bears'' (1976), ''St. Elmo's Fire'' (1985) (as Mrs. Beamish), and as Rob Schneider's septuagenari ...

. During the late 1950s, Nelson started a musical career which lasted over four decades. He had worked with

Johnny Varro Johnny Varro (born 1930) is a pianist with roots in the swing style of jazz. He is also a leader and arranger. Commodore Music Shop Varro was born in Brooklyn, New York. He began studying piano at the age of ten. During his teenage years, he wa ...

and was also a member of two Jazz bands. Nelson died at his home in Studio City, California due to Parkinson's disease.

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Nelson, Don 1927 births 2013 deaths American male screenwriters Film producers from New Jersey American jazz musicians Neurological disease deaths in California Deaths from Parkinson's disease People from Hackensack, New Jersey People from Tenafly, New Jersey Screenwriters from New Jersey